


Shattered Play Through

by MHmurderousHedgehog



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ghost Chara, I'm shitty at writing nightmares, Past Abuse, Self-Harm, Sharing a Body, Suicide Attempt, chara is salty, everyone is just salt, sans is also salty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-13 00:33:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7130888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MHmurderousHedgehog/pseuds/MHmurderousHedgehog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starts off as a genocide run.<br/>Chara helps Frisk along their journey. The two become friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first undertale fic and i worry it might get progressively worse ha,,, i have four chapters written out so hopefully I can post semi consistently as I write more, so ill space out the wait between each chapter. Any criticism is welcome hhh thanks so much if you read this honestly it makes my day

You stand up, head throbbing, and take a moment to lean against the wall to your right. A wall of dirt and aged roots. You see a beetle and guide it into your hands. It brings a smile to your face, which aches. Taking your other hand to your mouth, you rub and find blood. You don't remember anything from how you got here. You vaguely remember running away after a fight… You don't think you want to remember what you tried.

Setting the beetle down, you take a few steps away from the wall. Your legs ache, too. Your legs seem to move on their own as you make your way through tunnels of dirt, pitch black hallways of decay. Until you trip. You stay on the floor to recover. Wipe at your eyes to stop the tears. Fail and sob into your sleeves. With an angry tug, your left sleeve comes down, exposing rows of vertical cuts. You pull at the scabs to find some relief, some comfort in this strange environment. Why couldn't you have fucking died?! Your head clears up and you're overwhelmingly angry at the fact that you were here breathing after the fall. You couldn't even fucking kill yourself right…

After watching the blood barely contain itself in your open cuts for a few minutes, you wipe your tears again. Dry, tired eyes glance around for anything… and find a golden flower. With a face. Frowning at you. You step back, nearly tripping again, signing furiously, ‘GET AWAY’ ‘LEAVE ME ALONE, PLEASE’

It seems confused. “Uh… Howdy. Normally I would introduce you to how things work around here, but.. You seem… Uh…”

‘ILL FUCKING CUT YOU, ILL STEP ON YOU, ILL YANK YOU OUT OF THE GROUND,’ your hands shake out. You're trembling, going down again and hugging your knees. You scrawl out on the floor, ’please don't hurt me.’

“Oh, but you don't understand. In this world, It's KILL OR BE KILLED,” the flower grins.

You flinch and back away pitifully from your position on the floor.

“Hey, uh… Pal. Do you need help? I'm sorry for that earlier bit I… Your arms. Are you alright?”

You shake your head, closing in on yourself again and hiding your face.

“Was… was that sign language before?” The flower’s voice sounds softer, as if he actually cared.

Well… you'll humor him. You lift your head, wiping tears for the third time and nodding.

“ I never really learned any… I mean, I wouldn't be able to sign back if you were deaf anyway.” He waves a leaf sadly. “I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower. Your name?”

You pause, unsure, before scrawling out ‘FRISK’ in the dirt.

“Frisk? Huh, that's nice. You.. kind of remind me of a friend I had a while ago, Frisk. Maybe I could hel- OOF” The flower is punted across the room and a goat lady approaches you.

“Oh, what a terrible creature, torturing such a poor innocent youth…”

You don't listen to the rest. You don't trust her. She reminds you of your mother and you're sure she'll try to get you to care, manipulate you, hurt you like the flower said, but all of a sudden she's holding your hand and you follow numbly. You turn back to see if that flower’s alright and.. he's nowhere to be found.

 

\--------------------

 

The goat leads you around for a while. You think her name is Toriel… You keep your past suspicions but she seems to really care for your well being, and you like her. You wish you could stay here, even. She leaves you with a cell phone and promises to be back soon. You nod, hesitantly going to hug her. She seems caught off guard but hugs back, combing gently through your matted hair. “Stay safe, my child. I hope you have fun, you can play in this pile of leaves…. Become a monarch of the autumn season!” You both share a smile before she leaves. And… you're alone again. You sit behind the column she hid behind and count the slashes on your body. You lower your pants enough to expose your gashed up thighs and bruised and scabbed legs. You begin to trace the cuts, in your own silent trance.

“Hey.”

The voice of an older child breaks your thoughts and you tug up your pants as quickly as you can.

“That doesn't look fun.”

A translucent kid with light reddish hair and crimson eyes plops next to you. They pull up their green sleeves to reveal their own history with a blade.

“Need to talk?”

You shake your head.

“Gotcha.” They remain next to you, silently sitting against the stiff purple wall.

Your cell vibrates with an update from the goat lady; she says she's running late with groceries and apologizes. The kid next to you sighs, and they roll their eyes.

“She takes foreeeever with groceries, trust me. We're better off just going back to her house on our own. I can lead you there.”

You nod carefully. You think you trust them. So you stand up with them and begin on your way.

In the next hall you focus on the pretty purple flooring, when a frog approaches you. It gurgles at you threateningly. You glance back up at the kid next to you questioningly.

“Kill it,” they instruct.

You shake your head vigorously. ‘The goat lady said not to hurt them!’ you sign, and they sigh.

“Well Toriel isn't here, is she?” You're surprised and delighted that they know American Sign Language. However, you're still wary.

‘Can't we find a way to solve this peacefully?’

“Why would we do that? It's attacking us! It's asking for a fight, and we're just defending ourselves. It's probably too dumb to reason with, and it wouldn't matter if we killed it. It's a frog.”

You frown. They're probably right, and they know this place better than you.

“Here, let's try something. I died, and I'm just a soul now. Let's see if i can…”

They walk towards you, into you, and vanish. You blink, spinning around frantically looking.

_“Chill out, I'm right here,”_ says a voice in your head.

_What…?_

_“I said I'm right here!”_ Your hand waves on its own and you stare in shock. _“We're sharing a body now. Pretty cool, right? I can kill the frog for you.”_ You bend down and pick up a sharp stick to no accord of your own.

_I… I guess that's okay._ You pause and bite your lip. You can feel them roll your eyes in annoyance. _And… thanks._

_“No problem. We're friends now, right? We'll stick together.”_

_Yeah._

Somehow, you remove yourself from being able to see, leave the eyes to them. You don't want to see, or feel. You let them kill the frog.

_“There, that was easy, right? We should hunt more to get even stronger.”_

_But… We only did that because it was going to hurt us. It would be bad to kill innocent ones…_

_“They're just frogs. It's not going to matter, and you won't have to watch.”_

_Alright… Tell me when you're done._

You recede into yourself, pulling away from all your senses until you're left in your own mind. Not alone… With them.

_What's your name?_

_“Chara. I can see some of your unconscious thoughts. You're Frisk, right?”_

_Oh, uh… yeah._

_“Nice to meet you, Frisk.”_

You smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> whoops this is probably the longest chapter I'm sorry  
> also im not too sure about pacing? i dunno if this is moving along too quickly but since this is written with the assumption youve played both main routes i dont want to bore people i guess? oops

“ _Hey, Frisk.”_

You roll over groggily in your mind. Your body makes no movement.

“ _Wake up, I'm done.”_

_Mmmmnnrrrg…_

“ _Wake up or I'll make you wake up!”_

_Huh…?_

_“I finished killing frogs and moth things.. None are showing up anymore.”_

There's an uneasy feeling in your stomach. You try to take control of the ears for yourself, but everything is eerily silent.

_They're… all gone?_

“ _Yeah. But all of them attacked me first if I walked around enough! Let's just get back to mo- uh, Toriel’s house.”_

_Mom?_

_“... Before I died.”_

_She was your mom?_

“ _Let's not talk about this.”_

_Sorry…_

After a while of letting them walk, you pipe up again. _How come you can see into my thoughts but I can't see yours?_

“ _I'm just good at hiding mine.”_

 

\-----------------

  
The two of you traverse the empty corridors, first turning into a smaller hall. You step carefully forth and look down at a matted door. There's a strange purple straw-like pile. You, being a brilliant young human, step forward without hesitation. You fall on your ass into a place before.

_Fuck, that hurt.._

Chara chuckles. “ _You didn't seem like the type of person who’d curse.”_

_I don't, but_  jeez _that's gonna bruise._

“ _Monster food heals you. Because they're made of magic, it helps them repair themselves. For humans, it's sustenance and a form of healing. Pretty cool, right?"_

You smile to yourself. It's sweet that Chara is so eager to share their positive experiences underground.

“ _Hey, I'm not sweet!”_

_Yes you are._

“ _No, I'm pure evil.”_

_Nah, you're a pretty good person. You smile and hug yourself. You mean for it to be for them, and you think they understand that._

_“...Thanks.”_

You're grinning as you climb the stairs to progress.

 

\---------------

The rest of the journey, Chara points out little details when you can't quite solve a puzzle, which is for pretty much all of them. You think you two are becoming really close It scares you, to be so close to someone emotionally, but you find you appreciate it.

_Hey, Chara?_

“ _Hm?”_

_Uh.. Being with you is pretty great._

“ _Yeah, yeah, I love you too, you weirdo. Too scared to say it out loud in your head?”_ They're so smug.

You just feel warm inside. Having a friend is nice.

  
\---------------

With a newfound ribbon in your hair, and a plastic knife you acquired, the two of you walk as one with the large house in view. Toriel is there too, and it appears as though she was just about to call you. Your phone rings in your pocket. Once she hears it, she rushes over to you.

“Oh! My child, I should not have left you alone for so long. You.. appear to be perfectly fine! Not a scratch. I'm impressed.”

Chara grins proudly with your mouth. “It's alright mom, I was able to get back okay.”

“Mom..?” A sad sort of look crosses Toriel’s face, and then she looks overwhelmingly happy. “If that makes you happy, you may call me your mother! After all, you will be staying with me.”

A panic rises. _Stay?? I can't stay i cant be trapped i cant do that again i need to get away i cant-_

“ _Hey, hey, hey, calm down. I can get us out. Sorry for speaking up, I didn't think.”_

You physically let out a breath of relief. Toriel doesn't seem to notice. _It's alright… Thanks again._

“ _Anytime.”_

 

\----------------

 

As soon as you step inside, you're greeted with the scent of butterscotch cinnamon pie. Toriel made it for you. You feel a wave of gratefulness; you haven't eaten since before you.. fell down.

“ _You didn't just fall, did you?”_

Shit. Chara heard you.

“ _Damn right I did. Also, I know you're hungry and all but… would you mind if I ate the pie for you? She used to make that for me and Azzy all the time.”_

You don't ask about who they're referring to or how they got pie from Toriel, but you send them a small yes.

“ _Thank you. And, hey. If you ever want to talk about why you're down here… I'm here for you, alright?”_

_Thank you, Chara. I don't know about that, though.._

_“That's all right too. I think Mom is wondering why we're all spaced out.”_

_Oh! Right. You can talk for me. I can't… uh… I don't talk._

Chara wipes at your eyes to make it looks like you're just slow and tired- they're really good at lying, even with just motions like that, you realize. They smile gratefully at Toriel. “Thanks, Mom.. Pie sounds great.”

“Wonderful! I made it just now, just for you. I figured I'd save the snail pie for another night.”

You chuckled politely, but Chara tells you she was serious about the snail pie. “ _You can eat that pie, I wouldn't mind.”_

_Hey!_ You laugh in your mind; somehow, on the outside, you both seem perfectly stoic. It scares you.

 

\-------------------

 

After you let Chara eat a rather large slice of pie, Toriel wraps you another piece for later. You stuff it in your seemingly endless pockets. Seriously what the fuck is this an irl rpg or some shit?

Anyway.

Toriel sends you off to bed in an older room of dusty picture frames and battered toys. You can feel in your shared headspace a sadness coming from Chara. You try to send some comforting vibes their way, since they don't seem like they're up for talking. Toriel turns off the lamp and you lay in the bed, pulling the cold quilt over your body.

_Goodnight, Chara._

“ _Night.”_

You have the fleeting fear of what will become of the two of you, in one body. You think now maybe you have a responsibility not to die, where before you could jump into a dark and foreboding pit without a second thought. Except.. you felt a stabbing fear the moment your feet left the ground. You began to question if it was the right choice. Now you aren't so sure.

“ _Glad you're here, Frisk.”_

You go to sleep with a smile.

 

\-------------

 

  
In your room, you hear the banging, pounding, yelling, intoxicated anger spilling through your door. Your mom has been drinking again. The familiar shatter of a bottled echos through your head and it won't stop, you just keep hearing that crash you associate with shards and cuts that feel like needles on an open wound, make you bleed worse than you could bring yourself to bleed normally, until you run, you run out of the house, you don't know why you're scared for your life when you want to die anyway, and you find a hole, you look down into it and-

“ _FRISK!”_

Your eyes pop open and you hug your knees to your chest, shaking. Chara slips into control so your body calms down but you're left a trembling mess. _i cant do this i cant do this i shouldve died i need to die i want to die i dont deserve this i_

“ _Frisk, please.. Just… Take a deep breath.”_ They give you the lungs so you try breathing evenly. It's still choppy and nervous, but you slowly get better. “ _There… Are you better now?”_ You nod carefully and notice that Chara is easing up on their control so you can regain your composure. “ _I'm guess you probably don't want to talk about that…?”_ You shake your head and sit up. “ _Okay.. So, getting out of here, then. I know a way to the rest of the underground.”_

_You can take us there._

Chara takes the controls back easier than you would normally be comfortable with at all, but you really trust them. They hop off the bed and lead you you out. They take a path downstairs to a basement of sorts that has the same purple aesthetic as the rest of the ruins had. Before you can make it far, you hear Toriel bustling down after you.

“My child, it is not safe down here. We should stay upstairs.” She takes your hand and begins to lead you back up, but Chara digs your heals in the ground stubbornly.

“How do I get home?”

“Little one… Do you not like it down here?”

“It's not that, I-”

“I recommend you listen to me and stay upstairs where it's safe,” she replies sternly.

You don't realize you're holding your breath until Chara snatches the controls back and makes you calm and collected. “I need to get away.”

“But… why? Don't you see I am just protecting you? There were other children.. and they have all died upon leaving the ruins. I don't want to grieve over another one.”

“I can take care of myself. I'm sorry, but… I need to get out of here. I promise I'll come back to visit.”

“Human.. You can never come back when you leave. And I'm not going to let that happen. You will stay here, or.. I'll have to make you stay here.”

“What do you mean by-” You snatch the controls, shaking, and gripping your plastic knife until your knuckles turn white.

“If you really are so stubborn, fight me. You'll have to prove to me you can survive out there.”

“ _Frisk, what are you doing! Don't hurt her! S-say something.”_

_I… I can't talk, and I don't know what to say.._

_“Then let_ me _!”_

As soon as you hear that thought, a blue flame nips your shoulder and you look up. Toriel is attacking you… You… You trusted her. You pull your knife and slash without thinking.

You were stronger than you thought.

“Y-you..” she croaks out. “Did you really hate me that much…?”

“ _FRISK, WHAT DID YOU DO.”_

_I.. I don't kn-know, I… Oh g-god, I didn't mean to, she, she hit me.._

Chara still hasn't taken control and your knees buckle, leaving you to kneel in Toriel’s dust.

“ _Why did you…”_

_I don't know…_

Chara picks you up and makes you walk numbly through the hall until you reach a large door. They push it open without much trouble. Everything is dark.

You see a flower. It's Flowey.

“Hey, Azzy.” The flower seems to brighten.

“Chara! You managed to take control of the stupid human?”

“Yeah.”

“Ha! Must've been easy. They seem so passive.”

“...”

“Well, I'll leave you to continue. And I'll be waiting.” The flower laughs maniacally before popping into the ground. You stay silent in your head, and so does Chara.

  
\--------------

  
It's cold. The frigid air chokes you, even though Chara is control of everything except for apparently the lungs. You slip back even further into yourself.

_Chara…?_

_“...”_

_I'm sorry…_

It's quiet. They keep walking forward, ignoring it when you hear footsteps behind you and the ominous snap of a twig.

Then they freeze.

“H u m a n.” You hear a voice behind you. Chara keeps an iron grip and doesn't turn. “D o n ‘ t   y o u   k n o w   h o w   t o   g r e e t a   n e w   p a l ?   T u r n   a r o u n d   a n d   s h a k e     
m y   h a n d.”

Chara does as the voice instructs and reaches their hand out, dead-faced. What proceeds after is a long drawn out farting noise. You crack a smile inwardly. Chara remains serious. You feel another pang of guilt.

_Are you okay…?_

_“...”_

“The old whoopie cushion in the hand trick,” a somehow chubby skeleton says mirthfully in front of you. “It's ALWAYS funny.”

Chara remains as still as stone.

“That's, uh. Your cue to laugh.” The skeleton manages to looks concerned with his smile still unmoving, “Or, uh, to emote at all…?” You barely hear him mutter “gee, lady, you really know how to pick ‘em, huh?”

_Chara… Please do something. I'm worried._

You don't get a reply.

The skeleton winks and shrugs off the previous events. “OK, that's fine. Everyone's got their own sense of humor. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton,” he grins. “I'm supposed to be on guard for humans right now…but, y’know… I don't really care about capturing anybody.” You stay wary of Sans. “Now my brother, Papyrus… He's a human hunting FANATIC.”

“ _I already hate this guy.”_

_Sans or Papyrus?_

_“Both.”_

_I'm glad you're talking again…_

_“Don't get used to it.”_

“Hey, actually,” he seems to notice you blanking out. “I think that's him over there.”

You feel anxiety rise to your throat. Except it doesn't. Chara keeps you completely blank-faced.

“I have an idea. Go through this gate thingy. Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.”

“ _Idiot.”_

You hold your breath as Chara crosses the old bridge. It seems unstable. Sans is following right behind you.

“Quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp.” You want to move your legs but you can't make them. Chara is making you stay put.

“Uh, okay, I guess you don't have to.”

_Chara, come on! They're going to catch us!_

_“So?”_

_Don't you care…?_

_“No.”_

_I do.. I want you to stay alive._

_“I'm already dead.”_

_You know what I mean… I'm really s-sorry I didn't… I didn't mean to.._

_“...”_

You seem to have missed something while talking to Chara. They walk you out of the area, but you're stopped by Sans’ voice. “Well, I'll be straight-forward with you.” You instantly feel chilled, and it's not just because of the snow surrounding you. “My brother’d really like to see a human… So, y’know, it'd really help me out,” his voice gets this serious stiffness that it lacked before with his comedic way of speaking, “if you kept pretending to be one.” He walks in the direction you came from. You were sure that was a dead end…

Walking to the next area, you hear an ominous voice “ _Sixteen left.”_ Was that… Chara?

You watch from within your shared headspace and Chara proceeds to kill innocent monsters. These monsters speak as they're killed… They're not like the frogs from before. You want to look away, but they aren't letting you.

_Please stop… What did they do to deserve this?_

“ _What does it matter? We're getting stronger. Isn't that what you would want? So you can protect yourself? Even though you wanted to die, you couldn't bare the thought of someone hurting you, because they were_ protecting _you!”_

You remain silent. You watch Chara continue to slaughter dogs in armor, and ignore every one of Papyrus’ puzzles. You like him.

Before getting to Snowdin, Sans stops you.

“Hmmm. Guess we didn't need your help to have a good time after all.” He pauses, and winks lazily as he speaks. “Say, I've been thinking. Seems like you're gonna fight my brother pretty soon. Here's some friendly advice.” He closes his eyes, patiently. “If you keep going to way you are now…” His eyes go black and hollow.

“You're gonna have a bad time.”

Everything goes black and Sans is gone.

  
\------------------

  
Snowdin is vacant. The stores are left unattended. The only sign of life is a little yellow lizard kid. You fear for them.

Chara loots a store, taking gold and cinnamon buns to stuff their pockets.

_Chara…_

No response.

_Please don't hurt Papyrus.._

_“Why do you care so much?”_

_He's nice.. I feel bad being mean to him. I want to be his friend._

_“You screwed that up when you killed my mother.”_

 

That shuts you up.

They keep walking into the thick frost of the air past the town. You can barely see anything when a silhouette comes into view. It's Papyrus.

“Halt, human!” Chara steps forward. “Hey, quit moving while I'm talking to you! I, the Great Papyrus, have some things to say. First: You’re a freaking weirdo! Not only do you not like puzzles- but the way you shamble about from place to place… the way your hands are always covered in a dusty powder…” You feel sick. “It feels… like your life is going down a dangerous path.”

_Chara…_

“However! I, Papyrus, see great potential within you! Everyone can be a great person if they try! And me, I hardly have to try at all! Nyeh heh heh heh heh heh!” His laugh is comforting. You think Chara thinks so too. That doesn't stop them from stepping forward. “Hey, quit moving!” They do. “This is exactly what I'm talking about! Human! I think you are in need of guidance! Someone needs to keep you on the straight and narrow! But worry not! I, Papyrus… Will gladly be your friend and tutor! I will turn your life right around!!!” Chara walks until they're only a few steps apart from him. “I see you are approaching. Are you offering a hug of acceptance? Wowie!! My lessons are already working!! I, Papyrus, welcome you with open arms!”

“ _Kill him. He's forgettable.”_

_No! Why??_

_“..Because I can't.”_

The two of you, together, decide to spare him. You drop your plastic knife so it gets lodged in the snow. You drop down after it. You're both a shaky mess, and your tears sting in the cold. They melt little holes in the snow beneath you. Your shaking turns to shivering and you didn't realize how cold you were with Chara using the body and fighting constantly building heat oh god you need heat you… Things go black and you fall face first into the snow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hope sans is in character ripperoni

You wake up in a warm bundle. Your head rests on the arm of an unfamiliar couch.

 

“Hey, kiddo.” You lift your head to see sans sitting by your feet on the couch. “You feeling alright?”

 

You nod carefully. There's no sign of Chara in your head… You feel alone.

 

“I'm proud of you. You made the right decision. Paps is real happy. I think he’s makin’ some spaghetti right now, to warm you up.”

 

You make the sign for thank you without thinking.

 

“Sign language, huh?” He pauses. “You don’t seem like the same kid who was slaughtering all those innocent monsters. Have any explanation for that?”

 

_ Chara, where are you? _

 

Several seconds with no response.

 

_ Please… I miss talking to you… It was only for a little while, but- _

 

“You look really concentrated on something. Did i strike a nerve there?”

 

You want to give him a dirty look, but he has every right to mistrust you. You deserve it. You shake your head ‘No, it’s okay.’ You sit up and look around. ‘Where are we?’

 

“This is my place. Share it with my bro.”

 

“Sans!” comes the unmistakable voice of Papyrus in what looks like the kitchen. “My spaghetti for the human is almost ready!! Do they seem to be doing any better?”

 

“Yeah, they just woke up.”

 

Papyrus runs out to greet you as fast as possible. “Human! I am making spaghetti to expedite your sure-fire recovery! After all, someone as great as you only deserves the best.”

 

You shake your head. ‘No. I deserve you beating me, like I thought you would out in the cold… You just let me,’ your hands shake and you start again.’You let me go… Helped me, even, after what I did.’

 

Papyrus looks confused. You don’t think he understands sign. “They’re speaking sign language,” Sans speaks up. “It’s something for humans who can’t talk out loud.” If it’s specific to humans, how does he know it…?

 

_ “Don’t trust him.” _

 

_ Chara! _

 

_ “Yeah, yeah. Don’t expect me to stay. I fucked up. You’re better at this on your own, and I’m sorry..” _

 

_ No, no, I’m the one who messed up… I want you to stay. Please? _

 

_ “Only in the background. This is your body, and I shouldn’t have taken advantage of that.” _

 

_ Okay… I guess.. Thank you. _

 

_ “Yeah, yeah.” _

 

You think you blanked out when Sans was explaining to Papyrus and now he’s going on a tirade about how.. Good of a person you are.

 

“Back there, I could only wholeheartedly expect an act of cruelty from you! But you threw down your weapon, even though it made you vulnerable. I’m  _ so  _ proud of you human, never forget that!! After all, with someone like the Great Papyrus to care for you, you can do anything! I believe in you!”

 

You grin, shakily. Your mouth quivers sadly as the tears come down, hard and fast. You tuck your head in on yourself to stifle the sobs and save yourself some embarrassment.

 

“Oh no! Did I say something wrong, human??”

 

“I think they’re crying because they’re happy.”

 

“Wowie! I really am amazing at motivational speeches!!”

 

You nod and reach out wobbly arms for a hug, and Papyrus gladly accepts it, lifting you up and spinning you around. You cling to him for safety. From the corner of your eye, you see Sans with hollow eye sockets, black and deep the way they were when he threatened you. You think Chara is right to be wary of him.

 

Papyrus sets you down and you grin up at him. Then your face falls as you become unsure of everything. ‘Where do I go now?’

 

“Well, buddo. That’s your choice.” Papyrus’ face lights up in remembrance and he goes back to the kitchen to tend to the spaghetti. “If you leave here, Undyne will probably hunt you down and kill you for murdering everyone.” You flinch. “I’m not too keen on you stayin’ here. I’d only let you if my brother  _ really  _ wanted to. And even then… I wouldn’t trust you for a second. You dirty monster killer.” You still feel a shiver come over you when he blacks out his eyes. 

 

‘I understand.. I can leave.’

 

“Good. Don’t want to see you  _ near _ Papyrus again.” 

 

You rush out the door and into the cold once again.

  
  


\------------------

  
  


“Why did you..? Now we’re stuck out here! And this Undyne person is going to kill us or some shit, apparently.” Chara’s voice breaks the air. You aren't sure why they're talking out loud, but no ones is around to hear either way.. You feel sick.

 

_ We weren’t welcome there.. _

 

“Well, we’re gonna die out here! I don’t know what happens if I double die.”

 

_ Sorry… _

 

“Ugh.. It’s actually my fault we’re in this situation.. I wish we could undo this.”

 

“Who ya talkin’ to, kiddo?”

 

You both jump in unison.

 

“None of your fucking business, skeledouche.”

 

You slap a hand over your mouth and shake your head furiously. ‘I didn’t mean that, I didn’t mean that!!’

 

“This kid,” Chara says. “Way too polite. Did you know they wanted me to stop killing everyone? Ironic, how they were perfectly fine with killing my-”

 

‘STOP’ You’re breathing way too fast and your legs give, letting you fall. ‘You know i didn’t mean to, it was an accident, I… We were too strong..’

 

Sans has been watching this all with as serious a face as he can with his permanent grin. “...Right. What are your names? I think it’s time I get to know you.”

 

“Yes, let’s get to know the fuckers that eradicated an entire town and who you completely mistrust and want to die. I’m Chara. The quiet one is Frisk.”

 

“I see. You said you wanted to undo this?” 

 

“Uh, yeah. There isn’t really a way to bring back everyone we killed.”

 

“Hmmmm..”

 

“What?!? Say whatever you’re thinking, you smug little shit.”

 

“You’re a rude one.”

 

“What else is new?”

 

“Where did Frisk go?”

 

You quietly wave a hand. ‘Sorry.. We’re both here.’

 

“Alright. I’m guessing you have one human soul, but obviously there’s two of you in there. Even so, a single human soul has enough determination to reset…”

 

“Reset? Like, a videogame?”

 

“Yeah, exactly. I’m not too fond of them, but… given the current circumstances, it might be the best thing we can do. No one will remember anything. They’ll have a vague recollection of what happened before, if anything. That means me too.”

 

“Okay, you don’t need to give me a speech about responsibility and the like, I’m doing this now.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

“Uhm. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

 

Sans furrows his eye sockets. “It should just.. Happen. As soon as you have the will to do it.”

 

“Nope, not happening.”

 

Sans sighs. “You probably need some rest.. You two look pretty burnt out.”

 

You nod, but Chara shakes your head. “Like that’ll happen! No way I’m staying with  _ you _ .”

 

“Just stay in the hotel. I have an extra key there.”

 

‘Thank you..’

 

“No problem, bucko.”

  
  


\--------------------

  
  


Sans shuts the door behind you. “Bedrooms are down this hall. If you need anything, don’t call me.”

 

“ _ Gee, _ thanks, you fat fuck.”

 

“See ya.”

 

You don’t see him leave, but he’s gone. You sigh and sit down on your bed.

 

_ I don’t want to sleep… _

 

_ “Nightmares?” _

 

_ Yeah… _

 

_ “Fuck that Sans guy. We don’t have to sleep.” _

 

_ I almost wish we’d pass out again so everything can just go black. _

 

_ “...You’re a morbid kid, Frisk.” _

 

_ I don’t mean like that. _

 

Chara slinks back in your head, not wanting to overstay their welcome. They’re welcome always, as far as you're concerned. You fall back onto your bed. Damn, you have a splitting headache. You think you could just…. Fall asleep right there.

  
And you do.


	4. Chapter 4

“Knock knock,” comes Sans’ voice. You can’t move, and you’re worried sick about Frisk. Ironic, since you’re pretty sure they’re dying or something because they’ve been sleeping through a couple days, only waking up to go vomit, due to sickness. What worries you even more is the fact that you’ve found yourself floating outside their body again.

“Fuck off, skeleton.”

“It smells horrendous in here.”

“Yeah, no shit. If you didn’t want us bothering you, why are you here?”

“I kinda wanted to say hi to Frisk. I like them better.”

You look up at him, incredulous. “You can hear me??”

“I can see you too. I’m assuming you’re Chara?”

“Yeah, and I kinda wanna talk to Frisk too. But they’re asleep.”

“So why aren’t you?”

“Because I fucking can’t, and that’s none of your business. Nosey asshole.”

“Yeesh.” Sans sits on the foot of the bed. “Heya. I’ve got a question for ya.”

“Don’t ask.”

“Are you worried for Frisk?”

“I said _don’t ask_. Why do you care?”

Sans shrugs. “I just trust them more than you. Which isn’t hard, to be quite honest, I don’t trust either of you at all. I guess what I’m trying to say is, even that doesn’t stop me from being concerned. My brother is out of his skull with worry.”

“Was that supposed to be a pun?”

“I guess.”

“You’re getting worse.”

There’s an uncomfortable silence between you.

“Chara.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let them die. Their soul is the only thing that can help us reset.”

So _that’s_ why he cared about Frisk. Heartless asshole.

“I _won’t_ let them die because they’re my friend.”

This doesn’t phase him.

“Alright. I’ll go make some soup.”

  
\-------------------------------

  
You wake up to something uncomfortably cold on your head and the smell of chicken broth. Vision bleary, you sit up as carefully as you can manage.

 _Chara_?

No answer.

You hear voices outside…

“Hey kiddo, you mind not getting in my way? I ain't exactly a ball of fuckin sunshine right now.” That's Sans.

“I'm just watching! I don’t trust you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“As you've reminded us all too often, dickweed.” You're pretty positive that's Chara…

Chara! You gasp, wishing you could yell out to them, but end up choking on the air and getting into a coughing fit.

“...You mind checkin’ on the kid?”

You don't hear the door open, but sure enough, Chara appears floating over your bed. “You're awake! Can you… understand me?”

You nod, confused.

The sigh, oddly happy. “Thank fuck, you've been out of it for days. How are you feeling?”

You shrug. Your head is heavy on your pillow and you have to blink away a sick wetness from your eyes. You find yourself breathing through your mouth more often that not because of your clogged up nose.

“Sans is making soup.”

‘I thought he didn't want to be involved with us.’

“Yeah, well you're our only chance of undoing all this shit.”

Chara didn't say we. They said you. Does that mean…

‘If I reset, would you be left behind..? Would you forget me?’

They sigh. “To be honest… I don't know. I can rejoin you and I guess.. we'll see from there.”

‘I don't want to leave you… You're my only friend.’

“Hey, I promise if I don't remember, I'll still be there and you can kick my ass, on the house, Explain the situation and say I gave you one free ass beating. I might think you’re crazy but…” They trail off, gathering their thoughts. “Uhm. If I don't remember… to prove you know me, say Asriel.. Just that name, okay?”

You nod. Is that who ‘Azzy’ was?

“Sorry if I'm interrupting a heartfelt moment,” Sans appears though, yet again, you didn't hear the door. What is with these two? “But, uh. Here.” He sets a bowl of soup on the bedside table.

‘Thanks.’

“Papyrus might be coming over to take over for a while. I still have to keep up with my job as a sentry.” You really doubt he works very much at all.

‘Okay.’

“Great.” He winks. “I'll be keeping an eye socket out for you.”

You want to smile, but.. You still don't trust him. 

“About that… I was supposed to protect a human for someone, a friend of mine. She said that.. if a human ever came through that door, to watch over them, make sure they're safe.” He laughs bitterly. “That was supposed to be _you_. But anyway.. I had a question. Or.. more of a statement, really.” He closes his eyes, the patient way he does. Or maybe it's a lazier attitude? He always seems relaxed while doing so. “She never answers anymore…” His eyes open only to be void of light. It makes you feel as empty as they look. “That's your fault, isn't it?”

You don't know when they left, but Chara is gone. Sans is staring right at you, eyes vacant and accusing.

You can't look at him. You swallow nervously with a dry throat before signing. ‘It was my fault… I thought she was going to hurt me, but..’ You wipe your eyes. ‘But she wanted to help. I hurt her.’

You wish you could just hide your face under the covers forever. Sans just keeps staring at you. Eventually, his pupils return and they flit around, taking glances at the room. “Where'd the other one go?”

‘The lady I hurt,’ You start, shaking. ‘was their mom.’

“Oh.”

You both stew in an uncomfortable silence.

“You should eat your soup.”

He leaves, and you're alone.

  
\-----------

You wake up from another nightmare, hot and shaky, sweating through your clothes. You take a moment to breath evenly..

You turn to see Papyrus slumped over in a chair next to you.

“Human, you're awake! How are you feeling? As the self-appointed head of your personal royal guard, and the only member, I must know what I can do to help!” He looks dead-set on helping.

He offers you some scratch paper and a pen, so you jot down ‘I just need a hug,’ and show him.

“Of course!!” Papyrus leans forward to embrace you with boney arms. You enjoy it.

‘Thanks,’ you write.

“No problem! How are you feeling?’

You shrug and give him a thumbs up.

Focused on something, he leans back in his chair. “Y’know.. My brother doesn't seem like he likes you…” He looks sad. “But he really is nice! I'm sure he would be your greatest friend if.. things were different.” He pauses, face in thought. “It's just hard to.. to forgive you after all that. But I forgive you! And I forgive you for the two of us, okay?”

You smile. ‘Thank you. I'm glad you're my friend.’

“Me too!! I have to go, and my brother will look after you while I make spaghetti soup!” That… sounds like quite a creation.

Sure enough, as Papyrus leaves, Sans enters. “Heyo.”

You nod at him in acknowledgement.

The silence between you seems to stretch on for ages. Something has been weighing on your mind.

You wave your hand ‘hey,’ to get his attention again. ‘If I'm… not determined to live, how can I be determined enough to… change reality?’ It's been eating at you. Sans says you're supposed to be able to do it, as a human, but what if you really can't?

“Oh..” His eyes droop shut for a moment. “Hmmm.” He only opens one in his lazy way as he responds. “You care about that other kid, right?” You nod, not even giving it a thought. Eyes closed again. Then open. They're really the only way to get any emotion from his face with that permanent grin. You find it unnerving.“You could do it for them. I bet they wanna see their mom again.. They seemed pretty broken up over it last night.” You cast your eyes down in guilt. “And hey,” he starts again. “How much would you like to go back? To fix everything you messed up? That's a pretty unique opportunity. You can't undo things up on the surface, right? And.. you'd get to bring everyone their happiness back. People who have evacuated in this timeline will feel safe again. They'll have their kids again..”

You think hard for a moment, about the way he mentioned separate timelines. ‘If I reset, what happens to the you that's here?’

“Good question. I dunno. I'll probably stop existing. This is why I hate resets, but…” He sighs. “I think having a happier path would do good for you, y’know? And we could even be friends.”

The last part doesn't phase you. Somehow you doubt he'd ever trust you, even in a separate reality.

“Oh, c’mon. You know you like my puns. It's not like they're bone dry.”

‘Okay, I'm ready to reset,’ you sign with a smirk.

“Awe, what? One pun gives you the will to nope out of reality because it didn't quite tickle your funny bone? That hurts.”

You chuckle. ‘I was kidding, but.. What you talked about did help, I think.’

His eternal grin seems to widen and meet his eyes. “Glad I could help.”

‘Can you call Chara?’

“Sure.” He gets up and trudges out of the room. He really hates walking. A few moments later, Chara passes through the wall, not bothering with the open door.

‘I'm going to reset. I can't do it alone… I need you with me again.’

“Yeah, yeah, save the sentimentality. I'd love to come with you.” They give you a genuine smile before disappearing back into you.

“Let's do this.”

And you do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im thinking of maybe.. having the reset and try for genocide again because of reasons hat will later be revealed  
> that would definitely drag this out but  
> hhh i dont know about it if anyone reeds this and thinks i should or shouldn't, let minnow (two awuatic puns in one sentence, I'm going to be krilled at this rate) ((im actually very sorry about the puns))


End file.
